Note to Self

Note to self. Next time you are high centered in snow, have a bigger, not rotten handled, shovel. Had a great time up around Miller Mt. today. Met another Samuari owner and we hit the snow drifts. We each got stuck several times and had to dig out once. My old GI folding shovel bit the snow(dust). Now it's just a funky trowel that doesn't work very well.

Needless to say Mary was afretts (haha spell check does not know what afretts is) the whole time.

Pheasant

Pheasant, a photo by Jim Arnold (jga154) on Flickr.

I only saw two pheasant but neither of them cared who I was or where I was. They were in love, strutting, crowing and carrying on like I wasn't there. Usually they run!!!

When Killdeer Get Close

When Killdeer Get Close, a photo by Jim Arnold (jga154) on Flickr.

This is not a cropped shot. We were driving around the wildlife area and had this cooperative Killdeer pose with a nice background for me.

Bighead Clover

Bighead Clover, a photo by Jim Arnold (jga154) on Flickr.

The wildflowers in Ash Creek Wildlife Area were really starting to bloom. There were only a few of these Bighead Clover blooms around.

Marsh Wren

Marsh Wren, a photo by Jim Arnold (jga154) on Flickr.

This little guy was very busy building nests. He had at least two going while I photographed him. I watched him grab three to five mouths of cattail fuzz then go for a mouth full of wet tule. They are so quick. It is nice to be using digital as I captured dozens of shots that are trashed already.

Singing Meadowlark

Meadowlark, a photo by Jim Arnold (jga154) on Flickr.

This guy/gal was just singing away in the Ash Creek Wildlife Area. Probably a guy singing for a gal.

Waterfalls on Tuft Creek

Waterfalls on Tuft Creek, a photo by Jim Arnold (jga154) on Flickr.

Jim, Jim, Mary, and Sandy took our Samuari's out for a ride the other day. We ended up north of Mosquito Lake in the Big Valley Mountain range. The creek that drains the lake is called Tuft Creek. As we were descending into Julia Glover Flat I noticed this waterfall on Tuft Creek. It is an amazing little falls and not so small this spring. Unfortunately few have probably ever seen this falls as the creek is very seasonal and normally dry.

They're Back

Click on the photo to view it larger in my Flicker photostream.

The Hooded Orioles have returned. We have had a pair for several years now feeding at our Hummingbird feeders and nesting in nearby Palm trees. Frank and I spent about an hour and a half sitting in my truck (a good blind) waiting for them to feed yesterday evening. The male came but only once. Hopefully they will ramp up their visits later on.